Bayern Munich Junior Team

gooDevil

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is apparently the name of their youth academy. You don't hear much about it, but Bayern seem to produce some excellent players. Can anyone tell us more about it? Any lessons we can learn from their success?

From wiki

Bayern Munich Junior Team is the youth academy for German football club Bayern Munich. The Junior Team was created in 1902[1] and restructured in 1995[2] has educated many players who have become regulars in the Fußball-Bundesliga and the Germany national football team, such as Thomas Müller, Andreas Ottl, Philipp Lahm, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Piotr Trochowski and Bastian Schweinsteiger. There are 165 players, 16 instructors and managers, 1 physiotherapist and 1 masseur.[1] Rosters remain unchanged while the kids learn their trade whether it be for goalkeeper, defence, midfield or forward. They are trained for no more than 1 or 2 positions.[3]

Bayern Munich Junior Team uses a 4–3–3 formation system from D Juniors and upwards.[1] Players from overseas are offered accommodation in a youth apartment block with 13 single rooms inside the club grounds on Säbener Straße.[1] The facility arrangement at different to many other high profile clubs, such as at Manchester United and Ajax Amsterdam, in that both the first team and the youth teams train at the same location.[2]


Scouting

Bayern Munich has scouts all over the world, though most of the scouting happens within a few hours drive of Munich.[3] Thomas Hitzlsperger, Christian Lell, Andreas Ottl, current first team players Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger and most recent graduates Holger Badstuber, Diego Contento and Thomas Müller are all from either Munich or within a 70 km radius of the city.

As part of the restructuring and to help find players for the Junior Team, Bayern Munich has developed a "Talent Day" where up to 500 boys are scouted. The Talent Days are done over Saturday and Sunday.[5] The format used is 3 twenty-minute 5-a-side matches.[5] The scouts are looking for how well the participants "cope with the ball" "particular skill", "excellent dribbling" and "good vision".[5] An average of seven children will make it to the Bayern Munich Junior Team during Talent days.[3] Talent Days has drawn "worldwide attention".[5] The event has drawn participants from all over Germany along with participants from Austria, France, Italy and Australia.[5]
 

gooDevil

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Saylon from the nubies was kind enough to PM me some info about Bayern's youth set up, so here it is:

Q: How do you see the state of Bayern youth development?

Aside of Schweinsteiger, Lahm, Badstuber, Müller and recently David Alaba none of our homegrown player were able to walk into our squad. Not to mention the shameful relegation of our reserve team last year.
That's why our youth system is in doubt.
In addition if you look at some of the younger german internationals like both Bender twins (brought up by our home town rivals 1860 Munich), Marin, Reus (both Gladbach),
Özil (Schalke), Götze (Dortmund), Neuer (Schalke), Adler (Leverkusen), ter Stegen (Gladbach), Gomez (Stuttgart), Podolski (Cologne), Höwedes (Schalke), Hummels (Munich), Schürrle(Mainz), Schmelzer(Magdeburg & Dortmund),
Kroos (Rostock & Munich), Khedira(Stuttgart), Müller, Badstuber (both Munich) it's obvious that we are level or even worse than some of the other Bundesliga clubs. We haven't brought up a good striker for years now!


Q: Does Bayern win the youth leagues/cups in Germany often? There's a lot of parity in the Bundisliga, is it the same in the youth ranks?

A:I don't know if the competitive environment in the youth leagues is as tough as in the Bundesliga but from 2003 on the U19 League of South-West Germany was won twice by each of SC Freiburg, VfB Stuttgart and Bayern Munich.
This year we might win it again but it's going to be tough.
But as I mentioned above our Reserve Team "FC Bayern Munich II" was relegated last year from third league to fourth league. As far as I know, the third league is considered to be the lowest professional league, which has meant this relegation had a very negative impact to our youth education.
During the last weeks several youth coaches were released or moved to less important positions and new coaches for the youth teams were recruited. Specifically Marcus Sorg, former coach of SC Freiburg's first team
and Mehmet Scholl. Christian Nerlinger, our sports director, declared that they created a complete new concept for the next years to improve the current situation and most importantly promote the reserve team.
To achieve this one or two former Bundesliga professionals as well as Bastian Schweinsteigers brother Tobias, one of the leading strikers of Germans second League, will join our reserves coming summer
(Reserve teams may field a maximum of three players who are older than 23 - so buying a bunch of experienced players won't be the solution but a few well chosen ones might help those kids to do the trick).


Q: England are just getting rid of the rule limiting youth recruits beyond 90 miles or so from the club, does Germany have any such restrictions preventing Bayern from signing everyone?

A: There's no rule limiting youth recruitment beyond X miles in Germany as far as I know. But recently there was a discussion in media when two Bundesliga clubs recruited two young kids about 13 years old from lower league clubs several hundred miles away. This behavior is considered as immoral.
Bayern Munich is limiting itself regarding this fact. We usually do not recruit players from other clubs that are younger than 16 if that would mean those players and families need to move to Munich. Kids should stay with their friends and family.


Q:Wiki says you guys recruit from all over the world, is your youth ranks mostly German, mostly foreign or about even? Is there anyone down there now that looks to make it to the first team?


As far as what's revealed in the media, we will focus scouting on the area of southern Germany especially Bavaria and Austria.
That doesn't mean we will stop world wide scouting but experience has taught that players from those regions fit best into the club based on culture and identification.
But focusing doesn't mean that Munich will stop scouting and recruiting on a world wide basis.
The only exception might by South America. After several recent failures with young players who were directly recruited in South America the board has announced that we won't recruit players from South America for some time.
But Munich will wait until they have proven themselves at a European side (like Dante who'll join as coming transfer phase as a CB) even with the risk to miss out the next Kaka, Messi, Higuin etc.
Emre Can will most likely make it to the first team next season. But I don't see any other player who might make it right now.

You might be interested in an article about the German wide youth concept initiated 10 years ago by the German Football Association (DFB).

http://www.dfb.de/index.php?id=311022
 

SilentWitness

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Going off topic ever so slightly but still tyeing into the youth side of football. I've been thinking about Standard Liege's youth set-up too, they've had quite a few talented youngsters coming through lately and most have established themselves at good clubs.
 

KM

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Whatever happened to Dale Jennings who signed for them last year.
 

SilentWitness

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Whatever happened to Dale Jennings who signed for them last year.
In July 2011 Jennings was signed by German club Bayern Munich where he will initially play for Bayern Munich II the reserve team in the Regionalliga Süd. In late October 2011 Jennings' habituation into Germany was hindered after he suffered multiple ligament tears in his ankle, sidelining him until March 2012
From wiki, says he has played 17 times for their 2nd side though.

 

gooDevil

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Whatever happened to Dale Jennings who signed for them last year.
From saylon:

He missed the whole first half of the season and according to this article in the independent he still struggles with the language, match fitness and adopting play style.
According to those who watch our reserves regularly he's currently underachieving.

I think it would not be fair to judge him before next winter break. Let's just give him a proper pre - season and some month to show if he has what it needs to walk to the first team or not.
 

gooDevil

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Also:

I thought a little more about this stuff this afternoon and I remembered that I've read that English youth system pays a lot of attention to athleticism. As far as I understand comments from German youth coordinators they pay more attention to technical skills, tactical education and the ability to anticipate game situations and adopt new situations and tactics quickly.
One of the key factors of the German national team is the ability to switch from defense or possession play to quick vertical attacking play within seconds. That's what those kids are taught during youth. Athleticism may come later when their body transforms from a teenage body to that of a man.
Take a look at Holger Badstuber. Last year he was blamed to be a horrible defender. This year he is the impact player of Munich's defense. What changed?
First of course Heynckes has approaches a much more balanced style of play compared to van Gaal, who reportedly didn't care much about defense. But in addition during last off season Badstuber, who is now mere 23 years old, built up some muscles which seems to help a lot in tackles and aerial competitions.
 

mo0

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Jennings had an ankle injury, then there was the winter break, but he's been playing. mainly as a sub.
 

Blackwidow

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The Bayern youth team has years, in which they produce real great players that not only play at Bayern Munich - and then years where there is not much substance.

The Schweinsteiger/Lahm years produced players like Misimovic (Bosnian international with more than 60 caps), Hitzlsperger, Trochowski who have caps - and some other Bundesliga players. In 2001 the B-team had Misimovic, Alou Diarra (who got overlooked at Bayern and made his success later on) and Hargreaves in their midfield... ;)

The 2008-10 years of the Bayern B-team seem to be similar successful. Mats Hummels, Müller, Badstuber, Kroos, Alaba, Kraft (at Hertha), Ekici (now at Bremen - still needs to show his potential) - maybe even Contento.

The last two years were not so fruitful. Can has gotten a contract with the professionals but he will have to show that he can switch from a successful youth player into a very good professional.

For the players that made it into the first team I think Hermann Gerland as second team coach was very important - but he currently is not at the second team but since van Gaal with the professionals. He is the one that stands more for bite and work than anyone else - that might be the most important issues for a talented youth player to turn into a successful professional - work ethic and mentality.
 

Blackwidow

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They make a lot of changes with the coaches in the summer.

Bayern Munich bosses (Hoeness/Rummenigge/Nerlinger) aren't happy with the youth system and youth teams in the last years.
The U19-youth team currently is number one of the South - but yes, the recent two/three years after Badstuber, Müller, Kraft, Alaba, Contento where taken to the professionals and Ekici, Kopplin etc. and some others left for other clubs, the way from youth to professionals did not really function. And the current B-team does not seem to offer too much talent either apart from Emre Can. There is some question marks as they had a lot of injuries - like e.g. Dale Jennings who hardly could play because of that and could not really show his developments.

The changes - some might think that they are only made to give some old players new jobs, like e.g. Mehmet Scholl who always was and is Hoeness love player and who will be coach of the B-team next year.



The scene is five years old - from a semi final for the German U19-championship. One current midfielder of the Bayern team passes the ball to another current midfielder of the Bayern team...

There is three years between that goal and a golden boot at the World Cup.